Beijing. The political and cultural center of China. Any visit to this country demands one to this ancient city that is the beating heart of the Middle Kingdom. After 10 months in China, each of us felt a little shy or hesitant to admit to others we hadn’t yet visited this city.
Two unique ways presented themselves for our family to experience this cultural center of China at the end of the school year. The first was an organized school field trip where father and son could camp alongside the Great Wall and lunch with local farmers. The field trip experience included 60 middle school students, chaperones, and multiple tour guides. To offset the chaos of a large group the itinerary also included the majesty of a night under the stars, sunrise over the Great Wall, rickshaw rides through hutongs, and front row seats to an acrobatic show. The second experience was a self-guided itinerary that connected each of the must-see destinations in this massive city with some unique mother and daughter personalization. Each itinerary highlighted the city’s unarguable majesty in unique ways.
Day One
After an early morning bullet train from Shanghai that sped us the 819 miles to Beijing in a quick 4.5 hours, we all arrived at the train station eager to begin our separate adventures. The blistering heat of Beijing engulfed us like an oven and foretold long days ahead. Temperatures were expected to hover around 98 degrees Fahrenheit our entire trip. As we had become accustomed to the sweltering humidity of Shanghai, we welcomed the relatively dry heat of this northern city.
Self-Guided Itinerary
Jumping in a taxi at the train station, Janna and I headed off to our hotel – a boutique courtyard house or “siheyuan” located in a hutong near the Forbidden City. It was not a typical hotel with a front desk and lobby. To enter we had to knock on the large red door and wait of the proprietor to open it and lead us into a courtyard festooned with memorabilia of what seemed like the city’s entire 3,000-year history. Revolutionary posters hung on the walls alongside calligraphy and Chinese paintings. An antique canopy style courtesan style bed greeted us in our room along with a porcelain pillow.
Hutongs are old Beijing neighborhoods, consisting of courtyard homes and businesses connected by small alleys (which are known as hutongs). These old lanes are generally too small for cars (though some still cross through) and so most passers through are on foot or bikes as they weave their way around the charming neighborhoods streets.
Walking through our local hutong, Janna and I came upon a Chinese Muslim restaurant. Islam came to China over a thousand years ago and up to 2% of the country’s population today are Chinese Muslims. Many are recognized as an ethnic minority with their own distinctive cuisine that can be found throughout Beijing. Famished, we stopped in and had what was to be the best meal of our entire stay in Beijing, and maybe China itself.
Wandering through the streets (somewhat lost) we used our unique traveler’s mix of navigation by google maps, consulting locals for directions using rudimentary Mandarin, or observing other tourists and following their path, in order to find Jingshan Park. Hiking up the hill in this park, we marveled at our long awaited expansive view of Beijing and the Forbidden City.
Feeling the ache in our feet and backs, we decided to seek out a massage from what we had read to be a common service found throughout Beijing – the blind massage. These massage parlors were set up to provide opportunity for sight impaired citizens to work and earn a living and are supposed to be superior in quality to other types of massage. We looked up what we thought to be a well-regarded one and set out. The front desk clerk welcomed us and took us upstairs to a shared room. After our masseurs came in, Janna and I looked at each other with the same bemused “well…this is China” look on our faces when we realized our massages were being given by two very able-sighted women.
Field Trip Itinerary
After a group lunch to energize the field trip for their afternoon adventures, the large group divided into smaller groups of 10 led by a chaperone and then boarded a bus for a 2-hour drive to a remote and un-restored section of the Great Wall. Backpacks on, and water bottles packed, the group started their ascent up the mountain. 4 hours later, with burning lungs and legs on fire from exertion, the group arrived at the summit to pitch their tents and build a great bonfire to welcome the night.
The Great Wall of China is actually a series of segments of walls built along the northern border (usually at the top of mountains) to protect the ancient cities from invaders from the north. Though the wall segments stretch across much of northern China, the areas around Beijing have numerous parts that have been restored and that are accessible to visitors today. However, many sections are still un-restored. These select crumbled wall ruins are accessible only by hiking.
Day 2
Field Trip Itinerary
Impressively (for a group of 12 year olds), the group set alarms to wake-up before dawn and catch the sunrise. This remote section of wall stretches for miles in either direction and the absence of buildings, people, or other usual marks of life and civilization in China mesmerized all. Good weather and low pollution welcomed the group with bright blue skies. After another long hike, the group got to a partially restored section of the wall and then hiked down to a local villager’s home for lunch.
Feeling restored from lunch, the tour boarded a bus again for another 2-hour ride back to Beijing where they checked into their 4-star hotel for much needed showers before heading out again for a gala evening of acrobatics shows and a dinner of roasted duck. Peking Duck is a Beijing style roasting recipe that follows hundreds of years old traditions passed down from chef to chef. Each restaurant boasts their own unique style. What makes the duck sublime in Beijing is the crispy skin. The duck is roasted to maintain a crispy, buttery yet crispy like skin which is expertly cut by a chef table side and delivered to you to eat dipped in a small bowl of sugar. The rest of the duck is carved and eaten with small thin pancakes and served with hoisin sauce and cucumbers or other greens to be rolled up and eaten in a wrap.
Self-Guided Itinerary
Meeting our hired driver at 7:00 am, we jumped into the car with 4 water bottles between us. Our itinerary today called for our own exploration of the Great Wall. Our driver looked at our water bottles and laughed – apparently not accustomed to our western penchant for water while we hike and sweat. Driving us an hour and half out of the city, we wound our way through rural tree farms and sun glistened fields of fruit trees. The foothills and greenery were a welcome sight as we had spent the last several months in the concrete jungle of Shanghai. Watching the expansive green valleys pass by, we were reminded of both Colorado and Alaska. Trying to understand what kept bringing Alaska to mind, Janna and I finally determined it was the trees. Birch trees filled the valleys and hills surrounding the city and brought home to mind with their soft green and ashy leaves billowing in the wind.
Pulling into Muytianyu we felt the return to tourism again. This section of the wall is restored and designed for tourists but claims fewer crowds than other sections. We had to agree as we saw only 3 – 4 other small groups (all western) touring ahead of us. Our package included a chair lift ride up the mountain, freedom to hike along the wall as far as we’d like and an alpine slide down. The wall was magical. Seeing a restored version of the wall swept us into history as we imagined it fortified with emperor’s soldiers. As we heaved our way up the steep steps, we marveled at the engineering and physical manpower needed to create this structure so many, many years ago.
After an exhilarating ride down the alpine slide, we got back into our hired car to head to the Summer Palace. This summer getaway for the emperor and his court is located just outside the city of Beijing and is a stunning example of opulence, majestic gardens, and the culture that was dynastic China. We wandered the lake front and rested to catch the breeze off the lake when we tired. We didn’t feel compelled to check of all the points in this massive park, but rather just wander at our own pace in the heat of the afternoon.
Feeling inspired by the life of a member of the emperor’s family, we headed off to get manicures and pedicures before dinner and a much needed sleep while dreaming of dynasties of old.
Day 3
Self-Guided Itinerary
Waking up early, we decided to visit the Forbidden City before the crowds and decided to get there right at opening. Very rarely can you have a unique idea in a country of 1.5 billion people and in city that sees nearly 5 million foreign visitors a year. Our taxi driver dropped us off several blocks away from the entrance saying it was easier to walk than drive. Walking towards the city gates, we got swept up in the crowds of people – only able to crane our necks to see Tienanmen Square across an unpassable street – before we headed into the Forbidden City.
After walking into the massive Forbidden City with walls towering above us we purchased audio guides and were wooed by the stories of intrigue, adultery, love, and anger that haunt these city walls.
It takes several hours to walk through this city. Again, we wander and explore, feeling no need to see it all, but rather just absorb the feeling of this ancient place.
After literally walking into Jeff and Marco’s field trip group on their own tour of the Forbidden City, Janna and I head off for our own Peking Duck lunch before boarding our train back to Shanghai.
Field Trip Itinerary
Waking up no doubt restored after an evening spent in a bed and not a sleeping bag, the group heads off to Tianamen Square. This shows the benefits of tour groups or guides, as they know the tricks to accessing things that often get missed on self-guided adventures. After walking around the swuare the group heads to the Forbidden City. 9,999 rooms make up the Forbidden City and though not all are able to be visited, the group enjoys their visit before they head off to a rickshaw tour of a hutong and a visit to an elderly couple who tells stories of their life living in these old neighborhoods.
Beijing done, we all met up again on our our train ride home. The trip back to Shanghai allowed us all to contemplate our own unique three days in wonderful Beijing.